Instructors, students key to AOPA's Airport Watch program
AOPA formally unveiled its Airport Watch program to enhance general aviation airport security March 4 in Washington, D.C., during a press conference attended by the major national news media.
Designed to enhance security at general aviation airports, AOPA's Airport Watch is patterned after the highly successful neighborhood watch anticrime programs, which call on community members to note and report suspicious activity. Some 700,000 pilots and airport workers are being asked to participate in Airport Watch programs at 5,000 GA airports.
"General aviation pilots are eager to do their part for national security," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "One of the best things we can do is be the eyes and ears for law enforcement in our own neighborhood - the GA airport. Who is going to know better than an instructor, pilot, or student pilot what looks like normal activity and what doesn't, who belongs and who doesn't?"
AOPA partnered with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to deploy the national security enhancement program. AOPA is funding and distributing awareness materials, while TSA is providing the toll-free hotline, 866/GA-SECURE.
AOPA's Airport Watch program gained wider coverage following a presentation by Boyer to state aviation leaders at the National Association of State Aviation Officials conference in Washington, D.C. The association is an organization of individuals in all 50 state governments and territories who deal with aviation matters. The AOPA Air Safety Foundation is also presenting key elements of Airport Watch in its Flight Instructor Refresher Program to help CFIs get a clear understanding of how the program works.
For more information, visit AOPA Online.
2002 ASF Nall Report: GA accidents down, rate up slightly
The 2002 AOPA Air Safety Foundation Nall Report shows that general aviation suffered only 1,494 fixed-wing accidents during 2001, lower than any year since recordkeeping began in 1938. The total includes 298 fatal accidents.
The Nall Report is an annual first look at the previous year's GA accident information, focusing on fixed-wing aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds. This edition contains surprising findings about takeoff and landing accidents, which in 2001 accounted for 58 percent of all pilot-related GA accidents. Airline transport pilots suffered a higher proportion of takeoff and landing accidents than student pilots, relative to each group's percentage in the pilot population. GA accident numbers would drop significantly if more pilots adhered to the basics of safety, ASF Execuctive Director Bruce Landsberg observed. The report can be downloaded from AOPA Online.
New notam: Give nuke plants some room
In response to concerns from security officials, the FAA has issued a new nuclear power plant notam. Pilots are still advised not to "loiter or circle" in the vicinity of nuclear power plants, but now the Transportation Security Administration is brandishing a stick: Pilots who fly suspiciously around the power plants can expect to be interviewed by law enforcement personnel. And if law enforcement isn't convinced the pilot's flight activities were innocent, the pilot's name may be added to TSA's incident reporting system database.
TSA maintains that the incident reporting system is not the same thing as the agency's security list, which TSA can use to revoke a pilot's certificate for being a "security threat."
"Though power plants tend to be conspicuous landmarks, they are clearly not appropriate for ground reference maneuvers in the current circumstances," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "We urge all pilots to act responsibly and familiarize themselves with this notam."
The FAA issued this advisory notam rather than reinstating the 10-mile flight restrictions that were established briefly around all nuclear facilities in October 2001. Some security officials had been pushing to close the airspace around some 90 nuclear facilities, which would have affected more than 700 public and private airports.
AOPA's Airport Watch signs on CAP
Civil Air Patrol members are receiving training in AOPA's Airport Watch program. CAP national commander Maj. Gen. Rick Bowling announced that more than 63,000 CAP members will participate in the nation's largest and fastest-growing GA airport security program.
"The training provided by AOPA's Airport Watch dovetails with our own CAP training to provide significant protection for general aviation in our country," he said.
"AOPA is pleased that CAP is supporting the Airport Watch program," said AOPA President Phil Boyer. "Their participation and willingness to draw on the depth of their membership is important in our community-wide effort to report potential terrorist and criminal activities at our community airports to law enforcement. The more eyes we have focused on our country's flight lines, the more effective AOPA's Airport Watch will become."
The Civil Air Patrol, the official Air Force auxiliary, performs search-and-rescue operations, disaster relief, and homeland security missions at the request of federal, state, and local agencies. CAP members also serve as mentors to almost 27,000 young people participating in CAP cadet programs.
Schedule announced for AOPA Fly-In
Top-rated AOPA Air Safety Foundation seminars will headline the aviation education schedule at the 2003 AOPA Fly-In at Frederick, Maryland, on Saturday, June 7.
AOPA's annual fly-in allows members and visitors to tour the association's headquarters and attend seminars and lectures on a wide variety of aviation topics. Among the most popular are talks by AOPA Flight Training columnist and aviation humorist Rod Machado and presentations by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. ASF will present its popular "Single Pilot IFR," "Operation Airspace," and "Spatial Disorientation" programs. There will be up-to-date briefings on airspace changes.
Visitors can view dozens of exhibitor booths, and a wide variety of new aircraft will be on display. Seminars and exhibits will be open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and cash food service will be offered 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Last year, some 8,000 people and more than 800 aircraft participated in the free event. For more information, see AOPA Online.
If you can't make the fly-in, catch the ASF seminars when they come to a location near you; check the online schedule.
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